A woman has revealed her distress at discovering her husband had accidentally sold her $23,000 diamond wedding ring for $10.

Racquel Cloutier, 31, from Laguna Niguel, California, had been in hospital after welcoming her fifth child when her husband, Eric, decided to clear out their home and sell unused items at a community garage sale on June 1st.

Unbeknown to him, though, she had hidden her precious ring in an old watch box, which ended up being among the items for sale.

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Relieved: Racquel Cloutier has had her $23,000 diamond wedding ring returned after her husband Eric accidentally sold it in a garage sale for $10

Staying firmly in place: Mrs Cloutier says she won't be removing her ring again for a long time

Mrs Cloutier told ABC News: 'Every year our community holds a garage sale. I was in the hospital, I
just had a baby, so my husband thought it would be fun for my other kids
if they could sell some things at the garage sale.

Accident: Mr Cloutier, who 'felt terrible', had thought the watch box was empty and no longer useful, so decided to sell it

'He didn’t know that before I went to the hospital, I put my ring in
that box. I wanted the ring to be in a safe place and out of reach from
my two-year-old twins.'

Mrs Cloutier realized her ring was missing when she came home from hospital on June 5th.

'I go into my husband’s closet, can’t find the box, and then he tells me
he sold it,' she recalled.

'I said, "You sold it? What do you mean you sold it?" I
immediately started crying.'

Mr Cloutier, who 'feels really terrible,' says the box was purchased by a blonde woman who had been mulling over whether to buy it or not.

The couple are hoping that the buyer is honest enough to come forth and return the ring.

Honest mistake: Alyssa Lossau who had been given the box by her mother, the buyer, happened to see a news story about the lost ring, and promptly emailed the Cloutiers to let them know it had been found

'I'm very, very, very upset,' Mrs Cloutier said. 'I'm trying to remain
optimistic but I don’t know anymore. There’s a small chance whoever
bought the box doesn’t know the ring is in there.

'I would never, ever keep the ring if I had found it,' she added.
'If you're honest, you’re honest. Clearly, the ring was in the box by
accident.'